BOOK REVIEWS

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What Should I Read Next?

“The Table of Less Valued Knights” is written by Marie Phillips, who also wrote “Gods Behaving Badly.” This time, she takes her prodigious imagination to Camelot. It follows the unauthorized quest of Sir Humphrey du Val, formerly of the Round Table, who is now relegated to a wobbly table in the hall with the other Less Valued Knights put out to pasture. To read more, click here.

“Crash, Bang, Burn,” by K. Dawn Goodwin is the first fictional book by the author of the memoir “Until He Comes.” It follows Edie, a bible college dropout and family pariah, who finds herself in metro Atlanta trying to find herself. She meets Nathen Crosland, aka “Cross,” a fireman, and all hell breaks loose. To read more, click here.

Landline: A Novel
Rainbow Rowell is best known for her young adult novels like “Eleanor and Park” and “Fangirl,” both of which are fabulous reads no matter what your age. Like those young adult novels, “Landline” is a romance that doesn’t insult your intelligence (or the characters) or contain any gratuitous sex, drugs, violence, or profanity. (Gratuitous doesn’t mean ‘none’ it just means only when the plot calls for it.) To read more, click here.

Neal Shusterman is known, at least by me, and by the myriad of prestigious agencies that have given him impressive awards, for his incredibly thoughtful and interesting premises. Written in the guise of young adult literature, there is nothing childish about his writing at all. In “Scythe,” Shusterman demonstrates his incredible imagination and thoughtfulness, all placed in a vehicle that is deftly plotted and with prose that keeps the pages turning. Click here to read more.

Lullabies and Alibis by Stephanie Lewis is a fun read by the author of the hilarious “Once Upon Your Prime” column. Lewis’ columns are generally clever, light hearted, and silly. This book, by contrast, is full of death and delusion, insecurity and heartbreak. But it is a fun read – I promise. To read more, click here.

If you don’t know who John Cleese is, just stop reading here. Also know that we will never be friends in real life. So Anyway (haha), going on the assumption that you know who he is if you are continuing to read, I will not explain here. “So Anyway” is the meandering autobiography, full of diversions and philosophical wanderings, of John Cleese as he goes from a young boy in Weston supra Mare, England, to being, well, being John Cleese. The story ends at the Python days, with a bit of Python follow up. To read more, click here.

“Chasing the Moon” by A. Lee Martinez is a strange little book, highly entertaining, and laugh out loud funny. Don’t let its silliness fool you, though. There’s a lot of existential philosophy in there if you pay attention. All Diana wants is an affordable apartment. She finds one that seems too good to be true – but it comes with a hidden price – being the ‘warden’ of an otherworldly entity that transcends time and space – Vom the Hungering – whose constant omnivorous hunger might just result in Diana herself being eaten. To read more, click here.

“The Rook” by Daniel O’Malley is a wonderfully inventive, witty, thoughtful book that can be, at times, dead serious and laugh out loud hilarious. It is part spy novel, part whodunit, part fantasy, and all entertaining. In it, Myfanwy (rhymes with “Tiffany”) Thomas awakens beaten and bloody in a London park surrounded by dead bodies, all wearing latex gloves, and no memory whatsoever. The rest of the book details her attempts to discover who she is and what happened to her. To read more, click here.

The Little Red Christmas Ball, by Brian Moloney, is a sweet little chapter book. It is the perfect read-aloud for the holiday season. Part Velveteen Rabbit, part Charlotte’s Web, all wrapped up in a Christmas bow, it talks about the power of love and kindness and friendship. It’s an old fashioned nostalgic story, full of hope and cheer. To read more, click here.

If you throw a dart at my list of book reviews, odds are good you’ll land on one of my odes to Jonathan Howard’s books and short stories. “The Fall of the House of Cabal” is no exception. Click here to read more.

The Shattered Crown (The Legends of Ansu Book 2)
The Shattered Crown by AJ Webb is the second in the Legends of Ansu series, but you really don’t have to have read the first to enjoy this book. It is a sweeping fantasy epic, with many elements familiar to the genre. There’s a quest. There’s a struggle for power between the usurper and the legitimate heirs. There are dark forces, ancient beings, magic artifacts, beautiful queens, and roguish sword fighters. To read more, click here.

“Until He Comes: A Good Girl’s Quest to Get Some Heaven on Earth” by K. Dawn Goodwin is a hilarious coming-of-age memoir written by a talenten author not afraid to strip herself bare (in some cases literally as well as metaphorically) to tell a good story. Click here to read more.

Confessions of Super Mom by Melanie Lynne Hauser left me asking myself more questions than the author probably expected me to. The book centers around Birdie Lee, a suburban single mother of two, saddled with a toad of an ex-husband. One day, she spots a Stain of Unknown Origin and, when regular cleansers don’t do the job, she mixes them all, passes out, and wakes up with Super Powers. Click here to read more.

The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick is a strange little book, with a narrator reminiscent of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.” Bartholomew Neil is a man in his late 30’s, clearly impaired in some way, though it is unclear in what way. Bartholomew Neil is going through his recently deceased mother’s things, and finds a form solicitation letter purportedly from Richard Gere. Since his mother, at the end of her illness, called Bartholomew “Richard,” Bartholomew find this connection/coincidence to be unavoidable, and the book is written as a series of letters that Bartholomew writes to Richard Gere. To read more, click here.

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips gets points mainly for creativity. It imagines a world in which the no-longer-worshipped Greek gods are living in a dysfunctional townhome in London. To read more, click here.

“A Solitary Romance” by Violet Sparks tells the story of Katrina Crimshaw, or “Kate,” a CPA and auditor who has a blog under a pseudonym regarding vintage jewelry. For reasons never quite explained, she doesn’t want anyone at her day job to know she has this passionate interest. When an old crush comes into town….click here to read more.

Every Day by David Levithan is further proof of my theory that if you want to read a really good, beautifully written, engaging, creative, through provoking book that you ought to spend most of your time in the young adult section. To read more, click here.

“Stay Where You Are And Then Leave” by John Boyne is such a simple, lovely heartbreaking book. Written by the author of “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” it tells the story of Alfie, whose fifth birthday party is interrupted by the outbreak of World War One. His father, Georgie, enlists, and promises to be “home by Christmas.” Several Christmases go by, and Georgie still isn’t home, leaving Alfie and his mother in dire straits. To read more click here.

The good folks at BookBear asked me to participate in the virtual book tour for “Gol” by J.W. Webb. “Gol” is a sweeping fantasy novel, the beginning of the Legends of Ansu series. I’m always skeptical when I start novels like this because, while some of them are wonderful, some of them are tiresome, or overly dense. I am pleased to say that “Gol” falls into the category of fantasy books I like. It’s a big story, with many characters and lots of threads of varying importance. To find out more about it, click here.

The Kura, by Mary Patterson Thornburg, is Ms. Thornburg’s second novel. Like her first, A Glimmer of Guile, she does a great job presenting the reader with a strong female protagonist whose intelligence and goodness is treasured above her other qualities. This is a rarity in fantasy literature, in which women are either pure evil or helpless, rarely three dimensional, and always prized mainly for their beauty. This would be alone a reason to read the book. But there are more reasons. Click here to read them.

“Thanks for the Trouble,” by Tommy Wallach, is more proof of my theory that if you really want something interesting, compelling, thought provoking, and different you should look in the Young Adult section. In this book, the narrator, Parker, is a troubled kid who hasn’t spoken a word in five years. Not since he witnessed the death of his father. He cuts school one day, and happens upon Zelda, who seems to be Parker’s age, but claims to be much older. To read more, click here.

“Bernadette Peters Hates Me,” by Keith Stewart, has got to be one of the best titles of all time. Doesn’t it make you want to know why on Earth Bernadette Peters would hate anyone? To read more, click here.

The Road to Little Dribbling, by Bill Bryson is a really funny book. It is mostly a travelogue, but it is also a rant about progress that really takes us backwards, people’s foolishness in general, and a lack of understanding about the importance of historic preservation. To read more, click here.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh is not like any other book. I guess it is a memoir of sorts, and it is definitely funny, but that really doesn’t tell you much. The quality of the book itself is worth the price of admission. The pages are thick and glossy like a high quality coffee table book. Each chapter is printed on a different color of paper. The colors of the bizarre illustrations are bright and eye catching. To read more click here.

It’s Not that I’m Bitter, by Dr. Gina Barreca, is a somewhat philosophical, somewhat autobiographical, definitely funny book about professional, well-educated women. Dr. Barreca, a professor of English and Feminist Theory at the University of Connecticut, is also funny enough to be endorsed by the likes of Dave Barry. To read more, click here.

The Last Roadshow, by John Czarnota, has a fantasic premise: Joe Knocker (not his real name) goes to the filming of Antiques Roadshow programs. He finds someone with a valuable piece of artwork, and then six months later (so someone at the Roadshow won’t be suspected). His network of fences and dealers are extensive, as is his love of and appreciation for the works he steals. Just when he thinks he’s ready to retire, a man from whom Knocker has ‘liberated’ a flag presented by Lewis and Clark to a Native American chief figures out who he is and tracks him down. To read more, click here.

Queen of Your Own Life by Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff is not the kind of book I usually read, in that it is a sort of self-help book, full of self-affirming mantras and feel-good platitudes. However, Chicken Soup for the Middle Aged Woman’s Soul this is not. Kathy Kinney (best known as Mimi on the Drew Carey Show) and Cindy Ratzlaff (the marketing genius behind the South Beach Diet) are two intelligent, funny women who have been there and done that and want to pay it forward by telling you about it. To read more, click here.

Simon: The Genius in My Basement by Alexander Masters is a sort of odd little book I found at the dollar store. It tells the story of Simon Norton, a mathematical prodigy, and how he went from Cambridge professor to eccentric bus schedule collector. Click here to read more.

All the best satire is just a little bit too true. I read this book years ago. Now that Justice Antonin Scalia has died unexpectedly and, as my friend Suzanne wisely said, threw a gooey chocolate cupcake on the anthill that is 2016 politics, this book has become increasingly relevant. To read more, click here.

New York Night by Stephen Leather is a detective story, of sorts. Jack Nightingale is on loan from England to investigate mysterious killings in New York. The victims are mutilated and the crimes seem to be unrelated, but observant medical examiners have noticed that demonic sigils are carved into the bodies of the victims. The killers aren’t what they seem – they aren’t teenagers, they are demons who have taken over the bodies of the teenagers. It is Nightingale’s knowledge and experience with demons and the occult that allows him to tie the threads together and keep New York safe from the ultra-violence wrought by the denizens of Hell. To read more, click here.

Forging of a Knight: The Stolen Thief, by Hugo V. Negron, is a fantasy adventure book, featuring noble knights, pompous kings, elves, myths, magic, and other creatures. Negron excels in world building and adventure. The world is complete, unique, and true to its own internal rules. There are difficult journeys and battles a-plenty, which will no doubt appeal to fantasy fans. To read more, click here.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is, as I type this, being made into a movie by Tim Burton, who is probably the only person who could pull it off successfully. Dark, different, and interesting, you really should read the book before you see the movie. To read more and for links to the Amazon page, click here.

After much consideration, I decided to read Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman.” I had a little bit of a moral conundrum about it: I mean, if she didn’t want me to read it, who am I to invade her privacy like that? But then, who am I to be sure that her caretaker is lying? Anyway, when I saw it propped up on the library table, I grabbed it. To read more about what I thought after I read it, click here.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and I’ve read a lot of good books lately. There are four medals printed on the cover from four prestigious literary award giving out institutions, and they are all deserved. To read more, click here.

Dan Carter is a police detective whose partner mysteriously (and in Carter’s presence) kills himself with a smile on his face after a brief conversation with a serial killer who has committed suicide-by-cop. Carter resigns from the force and becomes a PI, but the out of character death of his partner continues to haunt him. The police aren’t interested in the unanswered questions about the serial killer, since the case is closed, but Carter is. When he suddenly inherits a book store in Providence, Rhode Island from a relative he didn’t know he had, things start getting weird. To read more, click here.

East of the Sun by Julia Gregson is a sweeping, historical romance. I think I enjoyed it mostly because it outlined a time and place I don’t think of much: in the 1920s at the end of English colonial period in India. To read more, click here.

The Children of Darkness, by David Litwack, is a dystopian young adult novel, of the sort that seems to be very popular these days. This isn’t a Hunger Games clone, though, and has original characters and plot. I was given a copy of this book by the good folks at BookBear in exchange for an honest review. I liked it. I read most of it in one sitting. To read more, click here.

In Openly Straight, a young adult book by Bill Konigsberg, Rafe, a Colorado teen, has been out of the closet since eighth grade. He doesn’t get much flak from his schoolmates for it, but he is known as “the gay kid” and this has repercussions socially. He’s athletic and reasonably smart, and just wants to be one of the guys. He convinces his parents to send him to a boarding school in New England where he can start fresh and no one has to know him as anything in particular. To read more, click here.

This week was Veteran’s Day. While I can’t say that I spent the whole day in prayers of thanks for the veterans who have served our country, I did actually spend some time thinking about my father and grandfather and how hard it must have been to be told by the government to pack their bags and leave their family and potentially be killed. The draft is such a strange thing for my generation to contemplate. This book is so vivid and so real, and can’t help but make you appreciate the sacrifices veterans have made. Click here to read more.

Once again, the good folks at BookBear asked me to be a part of a virtual book tour, this time for a book called “Show Time” by Phil Harvey. “Show Time” is a powerfully interesting book. It describes the life of the contestants on a Survivor-like show. What makes is unlike Survivor is that there is a good chance that they won’t actually survive. To read more, click here.

This book is well on its way to being a young adult classic. It stars Cather (identical twin to Wren – get it Cather…Wren….?) who is what most young women imagine themselves to be and so is infinitely relatable. Cather is prettier than she thinks she is, funnier than she thinks she is, and not nearly as awkward in social situations as she thinks she is. She is so insecure about her looks that she can recognize her identical twin sister’s outer beauty while being convinced her own doesn’t exist. Click here to read more.

This book is a memoir written by a once pious yeshiva boy living in an insular Hasidic community turned Brooklyn hipster. The story of how that happened, the spiritual and social struggle, is really fascinating. To read more, click here.

I have a confession to make: I love Christopher Moore. I make this by way of confession rather than simply a statement of opinion because he makes more penis jokes than someone of my pretend stature and education ought to approve of. He’s often crude, often blasphemous, but always creative and funny and original. And smart and well read – for someone who seems so obsessed with his manparts, Moore is well read and erudite and clever. No one is like Christopher Moore. Click here to read more about Moore’s latest.

When to Rob a Bank by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen L. Dubner is the fourth in theFreakonomicsseries written by the duo, an economist/journalist pair. This book is a little bit different than the first three, in that rather than longer articles with in depth analysis, this is a curated collection of blog posts from the past ten years or so. Click here to read more.

This book is gorgeous. The writing is so simple and pure, and the story so heartbreaking, I’m afraid to read anything else by this author for fear that it won’t measure up. Told from the perspective of 9 year old Bruno, the son of a high ranking Nazi official, this book gives a truly unique take on a subject which is often written about. To read more, click here.

Desolation Sound is a book written by Fraser Heston (son of Charleton) and Heather J. McAdams, who is a sorority sister of mine. You can decide for yourself which is a greater link to legend. Ha ha. Seriously, though, since proximity to greatness is completely unrelated to quality, this is in fact a well written book, even if it is kind of disturbing. Click here to read more.

If you’ve read more than one or two of my reviews before, you know that there is nothing that impresses me more than originality. A close (related) second is cleverness. This book has both in spades. Click here to read more.

Don’t let the title of this book fool you. You should not read it because it is super sad, or true, or a love story. It isn’t terribly sad, or true or, really, a love story. You should read it because I’m guessing in about ten years, we’ll be calling Shteyngart a prophet. Click here to read more.

This book has an odd title, which is ok, since it is kind of an odd book. It’s a profound one, though and definitely worth reading. The events in this book don’t so much happen as unravel. Information comes scattershot in the memories of the characters rather than summary pages and paragraphs. Slowly but surely it all makes sense. Even the title. Click here to read more.

Mary DiNunzio, is a lawyer who was hired to get reparations for an Italian man who was placed in an American internment camp during WWII and ultimately committed suicide. The research in the case suddenly turns to murders, both old and new, and involve millions of dollars in illicit gains. I don’t usually read courtroom dramas, but I liked this one. Click here to find out why.

Hard Laughter: A Novel by Anne Lamott
Jennifer’s father, Wallace, has a brain tumor. They don’t know if it is cancerous or not, but in any event he is having brain surgery. Hard Laughter chronicles Jennifer’s life surrounding Wallace’s diagnosis, surgery, and (hopefully) recovery. Click here to read more.

I loved this book. I cannot state that more strongly. I mean I really really loved it. Like, if it were a man, I would consider cheating on my husband for it. I loved it that much. (Just kidding, Mikey! You know I love you!) Click here to read more.

This is my review of a book I read a long long time ago that forever changed the way I think about what people say — and what I say and how I say it. Click here to read more and for handy-dandy Amazon links.

This is a book about how to create an online presence and create other marketing materials that contain content people will actually read and interact with. It’s a surprisingly readable business book with no corporate doublespeak or self-congratulatory filler. Click here to read more.

If you like detective novels but want to read one with a twist, or, if you’re like me and don’t particularly like detective novels because (yawn) they all follow the same basic plot line, this is the book for you. It’s completely unique voice, pulled off flawlessly, will suck you in. Bernie is the PI, Chet is his dog. Chet is the narrator, who absolutely thinks like you are sure a dog does. Click here to read more and for handy dandy links.

Jonathan L. Howard, that is to say, Johannes Cabal, is at his best when in Hell. The literal Hell, not the figurative one. Of all the Cabal adventures, this one may be my favorite, if for no other reason than Cabal may have finally met his equal. Click here to read more.

The Language of Flowers: A Novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

This is a book that will stick with you, potentially break your heart, and ensure that you will never look at a grocery store bouquet the same way again. Click here to read more.

Not a book, but….this is my new ringtone. I love it!! It gets stuck in my head and makes me giggle.

If you are looking for a little bit of silly to get you through the day, the kind of book that makes you laugh and taps into something we are all thinking but don’t ever say out loud, this is the book for you. Click here to read more.

As you can probably tell if you’ve read more than one of my reviews, I like books that are different. This young adult novel fits that bill. The premise is both possible, unique, thought provoking, and horrifying, and the characters are well drawn. Click here to read more.

What if, instead of an upperclass English mother of three daughters, Jane Austen’s Mrs. Bennett was a busybody housewife from New Jersey? And what if her three daughters were retired Jewish women living in an insulated retirement community in Boca Raton? Click here to find out more about Paula Marantz Cohen’s novel.

Johannes Cabal: The Necromancer by: Jonathan L. Howard

If you’ve read a lot of books, you probably think you can’t be surprised by writing. That every book is a variation on a theme already written. Wrong. Originality is not dead Click here to read more.

The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer

Heartbreakingly beautiful. And funny. And somehow you end up cheering for the 10 year old to spend more time in the bar. What? Click here for more.

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Jenny Lawson is one of those people that you are pretty sure is certifiably insane. She’s the good kind of crazy, though. The hilarious kind. Click here to find out what a ninja baby has to do with it.

Roz Chast, best known as a cartoonist for the New Yorker magazine, clearly thinks in pictures, so this graphic novel medium works perfectly for her story. Click here to read more.

You Can Date Boys When You’re Forty by Dave Barry

I admit to being predisposed to liking anything written by Dave Barry. Basically, I want to be Dave Barry when or if I grow up. Or maybe it is the opposite – I hardly think that going from “lawyer/litigator” to “humor writer” could be called growing up. Anyway, I really did like this book. Aside from the whole humor writer thing, my life parallels Dave Barry’s in some ways, or rather, his life parallels my family’s. In his family, he is in his 60s and yet has a young daughter and an adult son from a previous marriage. His wife is younger and Jewish, and he is not Jewish. In my family, my husband is in his 60s, and we have young kids about Dave’s daughter’s age, he has an adult son from a previous marriage. I am much younger than my husband, and I am Jewish, and my husband is Not. So there was a lot for me to relate to – about parenting children the age of my children, about being so much older than the other kids parents, about Bat Mitzvah prep, and even the final chapter about being a writer. Given that, it is possible that I liked this book more than other people would.

Still, whether you relate personally to what is going on or not, no one can argue that Dave Barry is just flat out, hands down, inarguably hilarious. Hilarious like don’t drink anything when you are reading him or you will spit it across the room. Hilarious like don’t read him in the waiting room of a doctor’s office or the other patients and family’s of patients will look at you like you are a psycho. Don’t read him on your iPad or phone while you are sitting through some boring meeting/class/lecture or you will be quickly found out.

Lori Duff Writes!

Need a book written but can't find the time to write or don't know where to begin? Need blog posts written to drive traffic to your site? I can help!

Hi! My name is Lori Duff and I am an attorney by day, three time bestselling author (yes! I write books that make people laugh because my day job doesn't,) and a ghostwriter by night! I have a passion and love for all types of writing. Whether you need a legal manuscript or a business ebook or even a humorous ebook, I can help. I'm a chameleon when it comes to writing and can take care of whatever project you have. So let's talk about it. Click below to visit my Expert Ghost Writer page to sign up for a FREE call with me to discuss your writing project.

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Testimonials

Good choice to take to the beach for easy reading- short stories that are fun and entertaining. Reminiscent of Erma Bombeck.

Nancy Morrissey

Couldn’t stop laughing, I so related to almost all of these scenarios. It was like Lori was relaying so many of the same thoughts I have had so many times myself. I think everyone should read this book!

Toby P. Michelson

This is a fabulous collection of humorous, actually pretty hysterical essays that most real women will identify with. Kind of like David Sedaris for the female. At the end of many of the pieces, I end up exclaiming “I know!” a la Monica Geller (does that age me at all?) Funny commentary on everyday life.

C.K. Slezak

Lori is just saying “out loud” what we’ve all been thinking. Charming and funny! Reminiscent of Erma Bombeck. I highly recommend this book!

Angelique Allen

Lori Duff cuts into the everyday experience with a well-honed verbal blade. This series of short observations of the seemingly mundane unerringly reveals our common vulnerabilities and aggravations- and defies us not to laugh at ourselves in the process. In the day to day, Duff finds fodder for hope, hubris, humility, and above all, humor.